With more than 45 wins from the critics groups and victories at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, the BAFTAs, DGA, and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Chloé Zhao’s precursor awards season run in the Best Director race has been truly something special. There is absolutely no doubt Zhao will become the second female filmmaker and first Chinese-American female to win the Academy Award for directing. She has completely steamrolled her way through this season and will deservedly make history at this year’s Oscars.
There really isn’t a case to be made for any of the other nominees, but let’s just take a moment to celebrate the nominations of both Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman and Lee Isaac Chung for Minari. Fennell and Zhao mark the first time in Oscars history two female filmmakers have been nominated in the same year and Fennell is the first female director to be nominated for her debut film. Chung is the first Korean-American filmmaker nominated in this category and his nomination with Zhao marks the first time two directors of Asian descent have been nominated in the same year.
Many thought this may have finally been David Fincher’s year (lord knows he had all the ingredients on paper for an Oscar victory), but it just wasn’t to be and Mank will likely limp away with just one win from its ten nominations. It was wonderful to see the Academy acknowledge Thomas Vinterberg, but he’ll have to settle for Another Round taking home Best International Feature instead. This is Zhao’s time in the sun and nothing is stopping her deserved win for Nomadland.
BEST DIRECTOR FINAL PREDICTION:
1. Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
2. Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
3. Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
4. David Fincher – Mank (Netflix)
5. Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Mayer)
Will win: Chloé Zhao
Should win: Chloé Zhao
Possible shocker: David Fincher